cuspidor
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˈkʌspɪdər/
- Archaic
- In the waiting room, a cuspidor was placed for people to use discreetly.
- Use the cuspidor
Examples
-
Local museums have human skulls that were made into cuspidors, and stolen human bones were formed into fishhooks and portions of staffs for kings.
Academic text (2011) -
Don’t you know millions of people go out there every year and wind up polishing cuspidors?
-
You there, with what you think is a cuspidor.
-
"Here, let me show you my cuspidors;
Fiction book (1996) -
We had to put the goddamn cuspidor in the center of the table because no one dared look away long enough to spit.
-
Here, I got a brand-new spittoon, cuspidor, Hallie.
-
Why, darling, that's the nicest thing you said to me since the time I got my head caught in that cuspidor at the Waldorf.
-
I think we can do away with rules governing the herding of cattle, the hitching of horses, the use of cuspidors, or "Arnold's law."
Blog text (24) -
He noticed that the cuspidor in the corner had not been emptied for days.
-
The dentist provided a cuspidor for patients to spit into after rinsing their mouths.
Synonyms
4
9.8
A container for spitting into often found in old bars and waiting rooms
Surface Forms
Etymology
The word cuspidor comes from Spanish and Portuguese words like escupir and cuspir, which mean 'to spit'. So a cuspidor is a bowl or container for spit, which explains why you used to see them in bars, hotels, and at the dentist.